First, and most notable, more than 57 million American Patriots showed up to vote on Tuesday -- this despite having been swamped with Leftmedia reports fawning over the messianic Barack Obama, reports that the election was over, and reports that John McCain was defeated.

In the face of all the negatives, 57 million of our countrymen did what Patriots always do -- put country first and cast their vote for what is good and right about our great nation. We were unified by our recognition that the high office of the presidency deserves a man of great and demonstrable character. We were unified by the knowledge that constitutional integrity is dependant upon the selection of Supreme Court judges who will abide by the plain language of our Constitution rather than amend it by judicial diktat. We understand that if we are not a nation of laws, a republic, then we are a nation of men imposing their will upon others, a democracy. The latter always leads to tyranny.

John McCain was beset by the worst economic crisis in decades (the direct result of Democrat legislation to undermine free enterprise by rigging mortgage markets), a sitting president who has been relentlessly demeaned and atrociously attacked by liberals and their media, and costly but essential wars on two major fronts, which the public has been told should not be fought. (When was the last time any liberal openly pondered the consequences had we not launched OEF and OIF?)

Yet, of the 120 million ballots cast last Tuesday, McCain would be our president-elect if just 500,000 voters in eight key battleground states opted for him instead of Barack Obama. (Just imagine what the political landscape would look like if the mass media was composed of objective journalists rather than Leftist campaign hacks.)

Second, it historic week because a majority of American voters were lulled, under the aegis of "hope and change," into a state of what is best described as "cult worship," with all its attendant deception. Never before has the collective idiocy of a nation been so galvanized in support of one of their own, Barack Hussein Obama.

In his victory speech Tuesday night, Obama said, "If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible ... tonight is your answer. It's been a long time coming, but tonight ... change has come to America. This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change."

Trudging through the smoldering debris of Tuesday's O-bomb, I have completed my post mortem. Unlike all the party punditry, who tend to form circular firing squads, here is a viewpoint far removed from the ubiquitous opinions of Beltway political hacks and media talkingheads.

First, when the Democrats ran the most uber-leftist member of their party, Republicans thought they could run a centrist who could make the case that he swings both ways. Unfortunately, in a time when Congress has far lower ratings than the historically low ratings of the sitting president, a centrist who is indistinguishable from the problem is not perceived to be the solution, no matter how great his patriotic pedigree.

Second, McCain ran his campaign like George H.W. Bush in 1992, when Bill Clinton defeated him. Who can forget Bush, in the last debate with Clinton, looking with disdain at his watch as if to say, "Are we done yet?"

McCain campaigned as if he had it won. He campaigned as a diplomat, not a warrior, and diplomats get their hindquarters kicked by warriors. He called himself a "maverick" (if I never hear that word again it will be too soon), and, indeed, he was once a great warrior, but after 22 years in the Senate, the "house of lords," the "deliberative body," he had lost his warrior spirit.

On the other hand, Obama approached this campaign as if he had been steeped in the effluent of radical Socialism, racism and anti-American sentiments since birth. He did what modern liberals do best: foment discontent, anger, division, greed, victimization ... you know the routine.

By the time McCain figured out that he'd have to rekindle his inner warrior spirit, it was too late.

Of course, then came the housing collapse and the subsequent stock market crash, and the credit crisis, followed by cascading consumer confidence, and the inevitable Leftmedia blaming of the party of McCain.

But there was one more major factor. Unlike 2004, there was no video message from al-Qa'ida's Osama bin Laden the weekend before the election; no message to remind Americans that we are one terrorist nuke away from a toasted urban center.

Osama's "October Surprise" shaved decisive votes from John Kerry's lead in just three days. One might conclude that Osama wised up this time around, in order to get his man elected. Tuesday was a happy day for jihadis around the world, but a sad one for those in Iraq and Afghanistan. Citizens of these two countries have, with a little help from our Armed Forces, tasted freedom for the first time in decades, and they now fear an American retreat, the implications of which are dire for the entire region.

One final observation: Some have suggested that this campaign was all about class warfare, rich v. poor. Indeed, that was a core message, but this campaign was really about dirt v. concrete. Obama received most of his support from urbanites, as one can clearly discern from all those county-by-county maps of election results.

Seems the further away some folks get from the self-sufficiency of the land, the more inclined they are to become dependent on the state. However, the fact is that concrete dwellers are completely dependent on the production of suburban and rural areas of our nation, those areas that are firmly under Patriot control. (Don't repeat this, because it causes a lot of heartburn among the majority of city folk who have surrendered to serfdom.)

So, for all those mindless minions whose heads have been stuck in the O-zone for the last year: You got what you wanted. Now what?

You recall that the only power that politicians have is the power to collect and redistribute wealth -- to tax and spend. I heard once that there was a great revolution over this issue, something about taxation without representation...

Consider how many times Obama has said that he thinks "people who have done well like me" should pay higher taxes. If that is the case, then why didn't he? I checked, and The One has never paid a dime more in taxes than the minimum required by law.

In regard to Obama's plan to confiscate the wealth of others, in his infomercial a week prior to the election, he said, "Just because I want to spread the wealth around, they call me a socialist. The next thing you know, they will call me a communist because I shared my peanut butter sandwich in kindergarten!"

Of course, Obama isn't proposing to "share" his sandwich. Instead, he's proposing to confiscate your sandwich, by force if necessary, and give it to someone he deems more worthy, under the assumption that you aren't charitable enough to share it yourself.

However, exhibiting that most universal of traits common to liberals, hypocrisy, it turns out that the Obamas reported an average annual income of more than $500,000 between 2000 and 2006, but they gave a measly two percent of their income for charitable purposes.

So much for "spreading the wealth around."

Regarding constitutional liberty, Obama has twice taken an oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic" and to "bear true faith and allegiance to the same."

He does not honor that oath because he subscribes to the errant notion of a "Living Constitution" which, in his own words, "breaks free from the essential constraints that were placed by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution."

Clearly, as the next commander in chief, he has no intention of honoring his presidential oath to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States," but I suspect most of our uniformed Patriots will.

Obama's executive, legislative and judicial agendas pose a greater threat to American liberty than that of any president in the history of our great republic. He'll likely appoint two or even three left-wing jurists to the High Court in his first (and we hope only) term.

Expect a concerted effort by the executive, legislative and judicial branches to undermine the First, Second and Tenth Amendment rights of citizens, and restrictions on the central government.

However, Obama and his radical Leftists should not underestimate the concern tens of millions of my fellow Patriots share about the assault on our Constitution that will ensue on 20 January 2009. When the next administration commences to trample on our Constitution -- and they will -- they risk the potential of civil disobedience at least equal in proportion to the degree of constitutional violation.

Thomas Jefferson insisted, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." Could Americans take up arms against each other, Patriots in defense of our Constitutional Republic? Surely not again. However, anyone who thinks this prospect is preposterous should put their ear closer to the ground.

Many American Patriots believe, as did Thomas Paine, "If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace."

Speaking of concerns, have you read about Barack Obama's "National Service Plan," which he proposed because, in his words, "We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded [as the military]"? This is his version of Bill Clinton's AmeriCorps, and it is an Orwellian plan to employ legions of his sycophants in the service of his administration. He proposes spending more on this "plan" than our current budget for national defense.

Read all about it in an upcoming edition.

As for our national security in the next four years, what new can I say about this issue? Well, just this: I wonder how the election of Obama will affect military recruitment, enlistments and re-enlistments? Slim prospects for jobs in the private sector may prop up the military census, but in the unlikely event that Obama backs off his tax-and-spend agenda, and the economy improves, military recruiters will have their work cut out.

Some are insisting that liberals can't keep playing the race card now that a black man has been elected president (even though less than half of Obama's family line is of African origin). But liberals are totally dependent on cultivating constituencies of victims in order to perpetuate their tenure in public office. As long as there is a Democrat in Washington, they will continue to insist that the nation is replete with racial and social injustice (which, they fail to tell us, is the result of liberal economic and social policies), and that the only salvation for the victims of such injustice is, you guessed it, to re-elect the liberals who perpetuate it.

While 95 percent of blacks voted for Barack Obama, it should be noted that one of the most courageous groups of people in the entire nation is the four percent of black men and women who voted for John McCain. One of these Patriots lives on my street, and he told me recently that back when "the black community" found out he voted against Bill Clinton, it cost him and his family dearly. That notwithstanding, he displayed a McCain/Palin sign in front of his house and voted accordingly.

On Election Day, another neighbor, who apparently had a few Patriot essays forwarded to her, felt compelled to write me a note defending her support for Obama: "I am a very patriotic person, a post-college/graduate school educated person, a consistent churchgoer and dedicated mother, a firm believer in a woman's right to choose, and a strong Democrat."

I mention the above only to include the last line of her note: "There are a lot of people in our community who feel the same way I do." After all, isn't this all about "feelings"?

Ask liberals about some manifestation of their worldview -- for example, why they support charlatans like Obama, the Clintons, Albert Arnold Gore, John Kerry, et al. -- and invariably they will tell you how they feel. That's why you can't reason with them. Logic and emotions are like oil and water.

Fortunately, the majority of my community, my state and my region of our great nation cast their votes on the basis of reason, logic and good judgment, not "feelings."

Finally, as I ponder the "historic changes" of the past week, my first response has been to pray. I know many of you are responding likewise.

This battle is lost, but the war is not. Stand firm, Patriots. Stand ready. Let's roll.